1850

The Catholic Emancipation Act enabled the Catholic Church to restore its Bishops and Dioceses and to formalise works for charity. 

1859  

The Crusade of Rescue is established from the various groups already working in the Diocese. One of the aims was to protect the faith of Catholic children and families. St Mary’s Home for Girls opens in Walthamstow. St Vincent’s Home, Hammersmith, takes in 20 boys. 

1862 

St Nicholas’ Industrial School opened in Walthamstow and was named after Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman. Boys would be committed here by the courts for offences like ‘wandering’, stealing (often very small amounts like £2), homelessness, begging, being in bad company.  We would describe children like this today as being in need of care and protection. 

1864 

St Mary’s home for boys in North Hyde, Southall, is approved by the Poor Law Guardians.  The buildings were part of former barracks used during the Napoleonic Wars 1799-1815.   

1865 

Cardinal Manning becomes the Archbishop of Westminster.

1866 

Westminster Diocesan Education Fund is founded for the education of poor Catholic children. 

1874 

Fr. (Lord) Archibald Douglas takes over St Vincent’s, Hammersmith, and starts a printing press and bakery to provide work for the boys.  

1876-1886 

Migration of Catholic children to Canada begins, partly as a response to the cost of looking after children in the homes. Of approximately 50,000 children sent from English institutions up to the 1920s, 5,000 were Catholic. 

1876 

St Vincent’s Home for Boys moves from Hammersmith to Harrow Road.  1884 St Charles School, Brentwood, opens for boys over 9 years old.  Run at different times by The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul and the Christian Brothers, the home closed in 1954 when the building was sold to the Home Office. 

1887 

Fr. William Barry, Crusade of Rescue Administrator, opens homes for children at St Joseph’s in Rose Lane, Stepney.  

1890 

St Joseph’s, Holtwhites Hill, Enfield opens. Run by the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, 138 boys were in residence in 1890.   

1894 

Fr. Bans becomes Administrator.  

 1900 

A hostel for working boys was opened at Manette Street, Soho.

1901 

The census return for St Mary’s, North Hyde, shows 20 lay and religious staff and 388 children in residence. 

1903 

The building of Westminster Cathedral is completed. The Catholic Emigration Association is formed. It conducted the emigration of all Catholic Children of 18 years and under from the British Isles to Canada. 

1905 

3 homes open in Feltham: St Vincent’s, St Anthony’s and St Teresa’s.  They were all closed in the 1950s due to  the expansion of Heathrow airport. The children later attended St Lawrence’s school, Feltham. Cardinal Vaughan instrumental in making the Crusade of Rescue an incorporated society. Incorporation – becoming a legal corporation under Company Law which offers financial protection as a limited company. This is in addition to the Crusade’s status as a charity.   

1912 

The Crusade head office moves from Harrow Road to Compton Street, now Tavistock Place, near Russell Square.  

1915 

The Crusade waste collection scheme started. This was an early recycling programme used as a way of fundraising. The rubbish trucks were garaged at Compton Place, behind the head office. 

1920

Fr. Craven (later Canon and Bishop Craven) replaced Fr. Bans. 

1926 

St Joseph’s, Enfield, building was extended.  The Adoption Act 1926 introduces a process of legal adoption for the first time.  

1933 

St Nicholas’s mother and baby home opens in Highbury Hill. 

1936 

Westminster Catholic Social Welfare Committee opens under the auspices of the Crusade of Rescue.  St Pelagia’s mother and baby home at Highgate opens. Many of the babies go on to be placed for adoption. The home was run by The Sisters of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary. 

1938-1963 

Revival of child migration; this time to Australia. Catholic, other faith based and Government agencies took part in the scheme. 

1954 

St Anne’s opens in Cork, Ireland, to receive babies of Irish mothers born in Westminster and to place them with adoptive parents in Cork. There were insufficient Catholic adopters in the UK. 

1955 

The Crusade offices move from Tavistock Place to St Charles Square. 

1963 

St William’s pre-adoption nursery opens at St Charles Square, transferred from Feltham.  Bishop Craven House opens at Enfield; new family group homes replacing large institutions. 

1969 

The peak of referrals of babies for adoption. 

1973 

Bishop Harvey, now Crusade Board Chairman, is awarded the OBE for services to childcare. 

1976 

Statutory post-adoption work begins. Adoption Act introduces the right for adopted adults to obtain their original birth certificate. The Legislation is retrospective. 

1985 

The Crusade of Rescue changes its name to the Catholic Children's Society (Westminster). There is a decline in the need for residential homes for children and the number of babies being placed for adoption also decreases. The Society moves into more community based programmes. 

1986 

St Francis’ Family Centre opens in Poplar, East London.

1987 

The School Counselling Service starts.   Central London Homelessness Team is set up to assist families who have no permanent home. St Margaret’s Family Centre opens at St Charles Square, North Kensington. 

1988  

The Hertfordshire project offering family support services opens in St. Albans.

1990 

St Vincent’s Family Centre opens in Hanwell, West London. Jim Richards becomes Chief Executive Officer.  

1994 

The Bishop Harvey Family Service is established. 

2002 

Comedian Frank Skinner donates £125,000, his share of prize money from ‘Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. The money is used to refurbish St Vincent’s, Hanwell. 

2003 

Bishop Harvey dies. St Margaret’s Family Centre is refurbished. 

2006 

The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate commends the Society’s Post Adoption Service as “excellent”. Bishop Harvey Memorial garden opened at St. Margaret’s, North Kensington. Rev. Jim Richards is ordained Deacon by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. 

2007 

OFSTED inspection report describes St Francis’ Family Centre in Poplar as “outstanding”. Bishop Harvey Family Service moves from Hendon to Muswell Hill. 

2008 

St Vincent’s Family Centre is awarded a Quality Mark Standard for Mediation by the Legal Services Commission. The School Counselling Service expands and a second team begins work, based at St Vincent’s, Hanwell. 

2009 

Catholic Children’s Society (Westminster) Celebrates 150 Years of caring for children and families!

2010

Please help to make sure the Society is around for the next 150 years.

Our timeline shows that we have been helping children for over 150 years. We aim to continue helping future generations of children for many years to come. To support us you may wish to make a donation or, if you are not in a position to help now, you could secure our longevity by making a gift to the Society in your Will. Any assistance is greatly appreciated and valued. We remember the Society's benefactors annually at a Benefactors Mass in Advent.

Please click here to make a donation.

Please click here to find out more about leaving a gift in your Will.